‘Wallpaper King’ hanging in there with help from DMG’s Shop Ireland campaign

Paul Kiely’s story is sure to resonate with many. He left Ireland for Australia to escape the recession at the turn of the last decade and had just landed back home with his wife and family when the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

He even had a new business idea ready to go — until the lockdown put so many people’s plans on hold.

However, the Government’s Back For Business programme, along with DMG’s Shop Ireland campaign, has given him hope of finally launching his decorating website, the Wallpaper King, at the end of this month.

‘Wallpaper king’ Paul Kiely is hanging in there thanks to Government’s Back For Business programme along with DMG’s Shop Ireland campaign. Pic: Supplied

While in Australia, he set up his own successful interior design business. He took on major commercial space projects requiring large wallpaper installations — including in care facilities, hotels, offices, shops and trendy corner cafés.

‘I still find myself thinking about what I have left behind to start again at the bottom, after ten years away,’ Paul told the Irish Daily Mail.

While in Australia, he set up his own successful interior design business. He took on major commercial space projects requiring large wallpaper installations — including in care facilities, hotels, offices, shops and trendy corner cafés. Pic: Orla Murray/ SON Photo

‘This has been compounded by the current Covid-19 situation. We arrived back in Ireland in mid-January, just as the situation was unfolding and Veronica [his wife] started work on February 1, with the office then being closed on March 12. I was hoping to be trading by the end of March.

‘Within two days of our arrival, and on the day before applications closed, I found out about the Back For Business programme and just made the deadline to get accepted.’

He fled to Australia when the recession hit and chose to come home to Ireland only recently, just as the pandemic hits. Pic: Supplied

The programme is aimed at helping returning expats with their businesses. Paul adds: ‘In a similar fashion, I was browsing the news and saw the story about this DMG Shop Ireland campaign — my heart started racing and I jumped on it straight away.

‘I couldn’t believe it when I got accepted.’ With the help of these initiatives, Paul is now pushing ahead to be future-proofed post lockdown.

Pictured is one of the ‘more unusual assignments’ that came Paul Kiely’s way when working in Australia. Pic: Supplied

Pictured above is one of the ‘more unusual assignments’ that came Paul Kiely’s way when working in Australia.

‘I was contacted for a job for an art gallery in Perth — for a French artist, Christophe Canato,’ he explains.

‘The pictures were quite strange, quite striking. He had an exhibition going in this gallery and got this piece printed into a mural. Engaged me to hang it on the like a wallpaper print.’

The government has announced it is extending the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme and the Pandemic Unemployment Payment until August following much speculation as to when the supports would be withdrawn. Minister for Finance Pascal Donohoe...

Penneys will not be reopening its stores across the country next week, it has been revealed. The announcement follows the likely move by the Government to re-open larger retailers for Phase Two of the roadmap. Despite...

Aldi Ireland will have reusable face masks on sale all 142 of its stores. The plain white face masks will come in twos for just €5.99. They are not medical-grade. Hands should be thoroughly washed or...

Tax revenues rose by 1.3% or €78m year-on-year in May as an increase in corporate tax receipts made up for a coronavirus-related drop in income tax takings. A €6.14bn deficit was recorded during the first...

More than three-quarters (76%) of Irish workers believe their employer has a responsibility to provide wellbeing support to employees during the COVID-19, research published by Hays Ireland shows. A survey of 1,7000 employees found...